Birth Story

Wednesday night December 1st around 9pm I started having timeable contractions.  I wasn't getting too excited seeing as Monday night started out the same way. I laid in bed timing and breathing through the mild pain.  I was praying that they'd either stop soon or that I'd go into labor because I didn't think I could handle another sleepless night that amounted to nothing.

I had one very painful contraction around midnight.  It was painful enough where my whimpering woke up Joe.  I timed the next three as they crashed in and they were between four and six minutes apart.  I called the hospital and spoke with my midwife and she suggested we pack up and head over. She also told me that there must be something in the air because it was a full house in the maternity ward.

Joe called his parents to come over as I whimpered through more contractions.  We threw our toiletries in the hospital bag and headed downstairs to wait for them to arrive. In my mind it took them  for-ev-er.

We were in the car on our way to the hospital by 1am.  Joe put the hazards on and ran through red lights as the contractions were coming in 2 minutes apart.

We got to the ER entrance, Joe ran in to get a wheelchair, a nurse wheeled me in while he parked the car.  I signed some papers at 1:15am (I had to write the time on the papers that is why I vividly remember the time!) and up to the maternity ward I went.

They hooked me up to all of the monitors and put an  IV in me for fluids and antibiotics ( since I tested positive for Group B Strep). By this time I was at 5/6cm I remember thinking I'm half way!  Joe rushed up to the room just for me to send him back to the car where he left the camera ;)

I stood on one side of the bed leaning on the bed with my weight on my hands breathing (heavily!) though each contraction.  As the nurse looked at my contraction monitor she commented on how fast they were coming. I agreed!

I don't know how long I had been standing there breathing through contractions before I asked for an epidural.  But before I even asked for one Joe was being my drug advocate and asking the nure and midwife if I could get something to ease the pain. They were giggling at the fact that the husband was asking for the drugs and not the one in labor. They couldn't give me an epidural until the bag of fluids was empty.  All I remember hearing was forty-five minutes. And I remember thinking, forty-five more minutes of this and I might die.

My midwife told me I could get something to take the edge off until I was able to get an epidural.  I signed up!  They shot something in my IV that was to last about 20 minutes which, at that time, was about the amount of time it would be until I could get an epidural.

At this point I'm sitting on the edge of the bed asking for a barf bucket.  I 'got sick' and peed everywhere (those of you who have birthed a child know about the weak bladder!).  The nurse thought my water broke. I told her I peed.  She gracefully, without skipping a beat, got a wet rag and started wiping my legs.

At some point in between contractions, I don't remember if it was before or after I got sick the first time -- I asked the nurse and my midwife if we should name the baby Veda Esther or Veda Glory.  The nurse chimed in and said. "I just got done doing a Beth Moore Bible Study on Esther." Done. Esther it was! I LOVE who Esther was in the Bible and Kate, the nurse, sealed the deal.

As the medication was wearing off  the contractions were death. I kept on asking when the anesthesiologist was coming and they'd keep on telling me a time in minutes: 15 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes. Soon they told me he was on his way and I remember asking, "Is he running?" They humored me and said that yes he was running.

He finally got there, I was at an 8, hit transition and was 'getting sick' and peeing and shaking at this point and I swear the Dr was hee-ing and haw-ing over whether or not he should give me an epidural or an introthecial. Epidural lasts longer, introthecial works faster but they only last 2 hours. He was asking my midwife how far along I was and then asking me if I was feeling pressure and he was frankly taking too long to decide.  I finally told him that my instincts said introtheical because I was already at an 8 and there was no way I would laboring for another two hours. He shot me up and within seconds I was in labor heaven. Peace. Rest. Joy. Harmony.

Joe said, "My wife is back!"  I laid in bed and a few minutes later I heard a pop on the heartbeat monitor and felt what I thought was a kick in my belly. All of a sudden there was water everywhere. My water broke. Abour 15 minutes later my midwife checked me and told me I was close to a 10 and could start pushing whenever. Three easy pushes and my baby girl was on my chest.

After I examined Veda and came to terms with the fact that I birthed a child that looks nothing like me they took her and put her under the heat lamp and checked her vitals.  It was about 4am and Joe was basically passed out on the makeshift bed by this point.  The nurse looked and me and told me that she was having a hard time getting the thermometer on Veda's butt so she was going to take her to the Special Care Nursery to see if they could help.  She wheeled my baby away and I hit panic.  I woke up Joe and told him that there is a chance that Veda's anus is closed.  He looked at me half asleep and told me not to worry.  I immediately googled "closed anus in newborn" on my phone and what I found wasn't pleasant.  Tripple panic.

Nurse Kate wheeled her back with a grin telling me that everything is just fine. Thank you, Jesus!

 We sure feel blessed with another healthy baby! And a short ten days later I can't imagine life without her....

We love you Veda Baby!!!!